All It Takes Is A Spark
by fiftyfuckedupshadesofemma
Summary: (OLTL, teen ensemble fic, oc x shane, brody x oc father/daughter relationship) Tanzie is the recently discovered daughter of Brody Lovett. She's just come to Llanview to live with him and she's a bit of a problem child, definitely street smart, edgy.. Shane is a sweet guy who's just getting his life back on track after all the bullying he endured. The two meet and sparks fly..
1. Chapter 1

She hadn't expected to spend her first day in Llanview High sitting outside the office, fuming in anger, ice pack to her swollen lip, but apparently, that's how she was destined to spend it. As she went back over the many ways she was going to choke True Rosenberg out the next time she got her hands around the girls skinny throat, she watched the kids walking past her, switching classes because the bell had just rang.

"So fucking done with this place already.. Haven't even been here ten minutes." Tanzie muttered as she raked her hand slowly through long blondeish brown hair and leaned back against the bench she sat on in front of the office.

"Is he fuckin coming to get me or..." she mused aloud as she watched the double doors at the end of the hallway, waited on her birth father, Brody Lovett to come and pick her up. She'd only just gotten to Llanview over the weekend, her father had driven all the way to Detroit to pick her up when the social worker called and explained to him the situation and how he was all she had left.

He'd probably only taken her in because he felt sorry for her. She didn't dare hope that the man actually wanted to be her dad. Not with her luck and past being what it was, not with her tendency to find (and create) chaos and trouble wherever she went.

Just like today.. She'd done her best to not fight.. But when the girl started taunting her about her clothes, her attitude, the fact that her father was only just now finding her.. well, she'd snapped.. And there had been a regular brawl in the second floor girls bathroom.

If this kept up, she figured she'd be right back in the damn group home within a week or two. And that's definitely not what she wanted.

Nobody good wanted to take in an older kid, after all.. And the kids there were all mean, some meaner than she'd learned to be by default.

A throat cleared from above and Brody winced as he saw his daughter's busted lip, saw the black eye which he gingerly took the ice pack from her lip and held it to her eye for a few moments as he asked, "So.. First day was that bad, huh?"

"This place fucking sucks."

"It's not always this bad. This is home now, Tanzie." Brody said as Tanzie looked up at him, brow raised and said solemnly, "It won't be for long.. You'll wind up getting sick of my crap too sir and then I'll be right back in Detroit."

"We went over this on the drive home. Now that I found you, I'm not letting you go. Ever again. You are stuck with me, daughter. No matter what you do, no matter what happens and what you try and do to push me away." Brody stated as he looked at her, sat down on the bench next to her.

"They said they were just suspending you this time.. Who started the fight?"

Tanzie took a deep breath and raised her hand sheepishly as she added, "But they just pissed me off.. Like this one girl, True or something, she kept at me until I totally lost my sh- err, my crap on her." while looking up at her father.

Brody held the ice pack to his daughter's eye and then asked, "What'd she say?"

"Just stuff, okay? I punched the twit in her nose so it doesn't matter now."

"According to the principal, baby girl, you did more than just punch her in the nose."

"Yikes.. So he told you that I may or may not have held her head down in the toilet and flushed?" Tanzie asked as Brody nodded and looked at her, trying to decide just what to do in this scenario.. He didn't want to have to punish her right off the bat, but at the same time he wanted to establish rules and boundaries, something she hadn't had before.. Something that she was going to have to get used to having.

"Other than the fight did things go okay today?"

"My biology lab partner's a hottie." Tanzie mused as Brody groaned, shaking his head as he asked, "What's his name?"

"Shane. He's really quiet. I think I blew it already though.. I was a little too happy that we got to dissect a frog today. Gave me this weird look the entire time. Then there's the fact that I dropped a pen, we both bent to pick it up and we kind of smacked foreheads. Oh.. And the stunningly stupid move I made when I got up to sharpen my pencil and like an idiot tripped over my untied shoelace and the strap to his bookbag and almost fell into his seat with him. So yeah.. The guy's probably asking for a less clumsy lab partner right now, as we speak." Tanzie mused with a laugh as she raked her hands through her hair and shrugged it off.

"Maybe not."

"Trust me, sir.. It's only been one day and I've smashed heads with him, shown freakishly abnormal interest in playing with sharp objects, and practically sat in his lap.. Yeah, if I were him, I'd definitely be asking to be put with someone who's a lot less mental."

"You are not mental.."

"I've only been with you for 3 days. Trust me.. You'll get it, just wait a while."

Brody sighed and dropped the matter for now. He thought about it a little while and said thoughtfully, "This time, I'm not punishing you for the whole fight. But next time you're grounded.. Deal?"

"What would I honestly do in this town to be grounded from anyway, sir?" Tanzie joked as she nodded and managed a smile as she added "It's a deal. I'll do my best to stay out of shit.. Not making any promises."

The father and daughter walked out of Llanview High and got into Brody's truck.

And in a classroom two floors up, Shane finished a third recount of the new girl in his Bio class for his cousin Matthew as he looked at him and asked, "Well? Did I totally mess it up?"

Matthew chuckled and shaking his head said "No, I don't think so.. I can't believe you headbutted her though."

"Yeah, not one of my finer moments." Shane mused quietly as he caught himself listening intently to True Rosenberg's telling everyone how some crazy short girl basically just attacked her in the girls bathroom.

Matthew leaned in and whispered to Shane, "She's lucky the girl didn't stab her in the head. God she's so annoying.. I mean anybody with half a brain knows that True probably started the whole thing." as Shane nodded and said "More than likely she did start it.. At least with the words. Maybe someone just finally got sick of her crap. If so, it's about high time."

"Like you got sick of Manning's crap and accidentally on purpose shoved him into that shower stall in the gym, turned on the scalding hot water and threw his extra clothes in there too? That was freaking genius, by the way.. Nathan said he was yelling so loud they heard him all the way in Mrs. Dunn's English class."

"Might not be able to fight the guy, Matthew but I'm definitely not afraid of him anymore. I'm just sick of the guy." Shane admitted as Matthew nodded and said with a smirk, "And maybe it's the Buchanan blood rubbing in finally?"

"That.. Is highly possible."

The two guys fell silent and Shane found himself thinking about the pretty new blonde girl he'd been paired with in Biology and wondering if he'd made a total mess of things earlier today. He hoped not because he was kind of feeling like this year might just be his year after all..

He was finally taking a stand and coming out of his shell again. It felt good.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Gigi noticed about the new teenager in town was that she was wearing a vintage Metallica t shirt with biker boots, fishnet tights that had holes in them and a black pink and silver plaid mini. She had two wrists full of bracelets, one of them had small spikes sticking out, and the girl's long blonde hair was almost wild with kinky curls.

The second thing she noticed was the shiner on the girls right eye and the busted lip. And as a mother, if Gigi had to bet, those damn bullies at Llanview High apparently had a new target, which made her heart go out to the girl who was much smaller than most girls her age, Gigi noticed. So she walked over and sat the red velvet cake she'd just confiscated from Jack Manning down on the girls table and said with a grin, "You looked like you could use it." before walking off.

Tanzie watched the woman a few moments and then shrugged, picked up a fork and started to dig into the cake. But a jerk she'd seen around Llanview High earlier in the week by the name of Jack Manning walked over, wormy and stupid friend named Brad in tow and flopped down into the booth seat across from her. "Hope you enjoy that cake."

"I am. Or I will be when you and your village idiot fuck off." Tanzie said as she rolled her eyes. Jack picked up a fork, speared a bite of her cake and to his shock the fork in her hands came down between his index finger and middle one, and she smirked as she leaned in, caught the collar of his polo shirt as she mused aloud, "Wow.. You really think you're something, don't ya? Try that shit again, Manning and you're gonna be pissing like a girl.. Because next time? I will jam the fork through your finger. That lady gave this cake to me, asshole."

"She took it from me first."

"Yeah? Well cry me a river, Manning.. Or go tell your mommy about it. Either way it goes, I'd really love it if you got lost. I came here to eat and wait on my father to get off work."

Gigi was near enough to the table she saw the whole thing as it went down and she couldn't help but smile a little to herself and gape in shock at the girls lightning quick reflexes, the way she quickly turned the situation around in her favor. Something about the way the girl acted reminded Gigi of Brody and when the door to the Buenas Dias opened and Brody walked in, the girl waved at him innocently, Gigi quickly asked Brody, "Do you know her? Does she have something to do with why you had to go back to Detroit last weekend?"

"She's my daughter, so yeah, it had everything to do with it. How long's that little jerk been sitting at her table?" Brody asked as he eyed the situation carefully with his arms crossed, waiting on a chance to walk over and scare Jack Manning into getting lost, taking a hike and leaving his teenage daughter alone. He chuckled but only a little when he realized quickly that his baby girl had the situation totally under control.

Tanzie eyed Jack as she lifted the fork to her lips and groaned as the cake slid into her mouth. Jack glared angrily and made a move for the fork he'd tried using earlier, almost gotten stabbed in the hand with and before his hand reached it, she held his hand, an iron clad grip on his wrist as she shook her head and said mischeviously, almost as if she were taunting him, "My dad's here, Manning.. Do you really wanna get your ass kicked by a cop today?"

Jack looked up and noticed Brody Lovett lurking nearby talking to two other officers on the force, Antonio Vega and Officer Oliver Fish. "No wonder you're fucking crazy." Jack stated as the girl shrugged and said quietly, "Not crazy.. However I'm not the kinda girl who just takes shit from fairy assholes like you either." as she took a bigger bite of the cake and then used her fork to gesture towards the door. "If you're not out that door in five, Manning.. Gonna give you a wet head.. Just like I gave that little berserko barbie doll you call a girlfriend.. By the way.. How is her eye today?"

Jack glared but the sudden appearance of Shane's mom and Brody Lovett nearby made him get up with Brad and leave. He smirked as he said under his breath, "This is a long way from over. You coulda had it so much better. You're actually kinda cute."

"Fuck off." Tanzie said as she bit her lip and rolled her eyes then turned her attention to her father as she put on her best innocent face and said "Sir... hi."

Brody sat down and then asked, "I take it you've met Jack, huh?"

"You mean Fairyboy and his amazingly brainless sidekick? Yeah, I've seen the jerk around." Tanzie said as Brody and Gigi laughed a little, Gigi sat down and asked quietly, "So Brody's your dad?"

"Mhmm, yes ma'am. Sorry you had to see all that just now." Tanzie said as Brody eyed the piece of cake and Tanzie quickly asked, "What? I'm a growing girl, pops..."

"I gave it to her." Gigi said quickly as Brody shook his head, laughed, ruffled his daughter's hair and then said "Let's get some real food first and then you can finish that cake, huh?" to which Tanzie nodded and asked, "Burgers? Because I kinda thought the chili pie smelled good when someone two tables over ordered it earlier."

"Works for me.." Brody mused as he gave Gigi their orders and Gigi walked to the back to put them in with Mo, the chef. While she was in the back kitchen area, she noticed Shane watching the blonde daughter of Brody Lovett intently, an amused sort of look on his face as he shook his head. "You know her?" Gigi asked as Shane nodded and said with a quiet shrug, "Yeah, she's that girl I was telling you about, my biology partner. The one who's actually into science? How's she know Brody though?"

"That's apparently Brody's daughter. Did you see everything that just happened?" Gigi asked as Shane nodded and said with a smallish smile, "Yeah.. She's the girl who gave True a face full of toilet water. I think she's kinda got a temper." which made Gigi laugh and nod in agreement before giving her son a gentle nudge towards the door and nodding at the table Brody and his daughter currently sat at, both watching a football game on the small tv at the back of the diner, both of them caught up in the game.

"Ten bucks, Dad.. Ten bucks says that the idiot lineman will cost them this game."

"You could be wrong, actually, because I happen to know that this team always pulls it out in the third quarter." Brody mused as he took a bite of her cake and laughed when she took the cake, slid it to the other side of the table and said pointedly, "Totally not fair.. If I gotta wait on real food so do you, pops."

"Touche."

Shane stood in the doorway watching them.. He wanted to walk over and talk to her but he didn't quite have the guts to do it. Besides, most girls usually went for the asshole jock types like Jack Manning and his braindead friend Brad.. And he didn't know Tanzie well enough yet to know if she were that kind of girl or not.

"Go on out there. At least try and be friends with her." Gigi tried again as Shane shook his head and said quietly, "It'd only wind up being a Neela situation all over again, MOm.


	3. Chapter 3

The whispering started almost as soon as Tanzie walked into Biology and sat down, glaring at her desktop, biting her lip, the rage within almost boiling. Shane tapped her and she looked at him a moment then looked back down at her desk. As soon as the bell rang and she saw Jack Manning and his idiot girlfriend True again?

They were both getting a serious beatdown.

"Are you okay?" Shane scribbled on a piece of paper, waited until the teacher wasn't looking and shoved it onto her desk. She raised a brow as soon as she felt a folded piece of paper being shoved beneath her hand but she quickly got the paper and unfolded it, used her notebook to cover up the fact that she was reading a note and not working on her assignment. She scowled..

She wasn't okay, not by a long shot. But she would be, just as soon as True Rosenberg got her ass handed to her and Jack Manning swallowed at least one of his balls after Tanzie punched him in the dick like she intended fully to do.. Just as soon as that bell to end this class rang she was going to get them both. And it wasn't because of what they'd been doing to her, not even remotely close..

Jack was spreading bullshit around Llanview High about her father, about how he supposedly went to an asylum. Tanzie wanted to laugh her ass off and she would've, really, if True hadn't some how found out just why exactly Tanzie had to come to live with her father, what had happened to her mom, how the woman had been busted for prostitution and had twice the usual amount of a highly illegal substance, cocaine, on her person and gotten throw in the slam for five to ten years.

She'd figured that with her little scene at the Buenas Dias the week before that yes, there would be repercussions to her actions but never in her wildest imagination had she thought that one Fairyboy and his brainless bimbo his army of idiotic minions could actually pull this assorted fuckery off.

She had to give them credit, they were good.. Stupid and soon to be dead, but good at getting things started.

Shane studied the petite blonde sitting next to him with a concerned look as he waited on her to respond. She finally shoved the note (which had been folded into an origami flower he noticed) back at him a few moments later and after he figured out how to unfold the note, he opened it and read what she had to say. He'd heard through Matthew and Destiny earlier that Jack and True had sort of been singling out Tanzie all day and he knew how it felt to be in her shoes right now.

The fact that Jack was even starting shit with a girl, especially a small one like Tanzie.. It pissed Shane off and made him want to find Jack and slam his head into a locker or something.

"I'm good. It's nothing I can't and won't handle..Just same shit, different day. Thanks for asking." the note said simply as Shane bit his lip and hesitated, pen raised above the note as he thought of a way to respond, something he could tell her to keep her from being so upset, hurting if she were hurting. To be frank, though, he wasn't sure if Tanzie percieved pain like a lot of girls did.. Mostly she seemed to just lose her temper quickly and get into lots of fights because of that fact.

"If you want to talk about it, you can talk to me. Talking to someone does help." Shane finally wrote as he folded the note back as best as he could and quickly handed it off to her again. Her hand closed around the note before he could fully pull his own away and for a moment she held onto his fingertips, her finger traced shyly over his index finger as a deep red blush rose in her face and he felt his own cheeks heating up.

Tanzie bit her lower lip and covertly unfolded the note, smiled a little. Shane Morasco, she was learning, was the definition of a really, really good guy. It didn't help matters of course, that she thought he was totally eye candy (Even if she'd die before actually admitting it) and she sat a few moments, watching him as he worked on the assignment they had for Biology for the day. Finally, she wrote something back and handed it to him just as the bell to end class rang.

Shane unfolded the letter and his eyes scanned over the response, he smiled a little as he read what she'd written, " Not so good at talking and shit. But don't worry, I'll get 'em." and when he looked up, she'd gone out the door already. He picked up the scarf she'd left behind and caught up to her in the hallway, tapping her shoulder. He held the scarf out to her and said with a smile, "You left this."

"Thanks.. And thanks for being a decent guy." Tanzie said as she stared up at him a moment, this intent gaze in her eyes before she raised to tiptoe and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He blinked in shock and when he got hold of himself she was gone again, heading out the double doors of Llanview High and into the parking lot.

Matthew caught up to him and asked with a snickering smirk, "What's with you, Shane?"

"Tanzie Lovett.. She just gave me a kiss on the cheek for no apparent reason. Girls, huh?" Shane answered as Matthew snickered and then said "Destiny said that she thinks Tanzie kind of likes you.. Maybe there was a reason.. Did she say why?"

"Just said thanks for being a good guy and then she kissed my cheek and ran like hell. I hate when she does that running thing." Shane mused as Matthew nodded and said with a shrug, "Girls are tricky.. Let's go shoot some hoops or something."

"Yeah.. I'll figure that out later.." Shane said as the two boys walked out of Llanview High and in the general direction of their houses. Since Shane lived just beyond the Buchanan mansion they got to hang out a lot and since they'd become friends again, they did pretty much this very thing every afternoon after school.

It just felt nice, to Shane, to have his life finally be getting a little more peaceful.


	4. Chapter 4

They sat in the den of the small house, bowls of cereal in hand, both of them laughing at the same moments at the cartoon they were watching currently. Brody smiled as he felt the couch dip down next to him and looking over, saw that Tanzie had sort of snuggled herself against him warily, was now eating her Lucky Charms bundled up in a throw blanket. She coughed and he looked at her in concern, held the back of his hand to her forehead.

"You feel a little warm, baby girl."

"I'm okay. It's just a little fever, not like it's death." Tanzie shrugged it off as she grabbed the remote and hit guide, scrolled through the channels and asked, "Expendables or Die Hard.. I don't feel like doing anything but sleeping." while stifling a yawn. Brody thought it over a moment and then said "We watched Expendables two times last week. What about the Marine?"

"Daaad.. Seriously?"

"What, it's good?"

"True, but.. I've seen it a thousand times." Tanzie said as Brody laughed and then said "Top Gear is on." as they flipped the television to BBC and got caught up in the show.

When Brody looked down at a break in the show about an hour or two later, he chuckled and leaned over, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she slept on the couch, her head on his leg. Reaching down he spread the throw blanket out better and took the spoon from her hands, put it into her empty cereal bowl on his coffee table. She rolled over onto her side and he carefully edged into a standing position before bending, picking her up and carrying her into her room at the end of the hall, putting her back into her bed. She hadn't looked like she felt that great all day.

A knock on the door had him raising a brow and he walked to the front door of the house, looked out the window next to it. Shane Morasco and Matthew Buchanan stood on the porch of his house, Shane nervously shuffling his feet from the looks of it. Tanzie had missed school Thursday and Friday, she'd been suspended thanks to a fight she'd gotten into with this girl named True who was bullying her, apparently.

Brody opened the door and stepped aside as Matthew and Shane stepped in. Matthew took charge of the situation and said "I got Tanzie's homework for Thursday and Friday, sir.. So did Shane.. We figured since we didn't really have anything to do that won't get us in trouble..."

Brody chuckled.. Shane, by now, was full on nervous and from the looks of it, Shane might just have a bit of a crush on his daughter. Brody smiled and said quietly, "She passed out watching Top Gear. She's still asleep. I don't think she was feeling that great, actually.. It was nice of you guys to do this." as he looked at them and Matthew said quickly, "It was kinda Shane's idea." with Shane blushing a darker red.

"Really.."

"Mhmm." Shane finally managed to say as Brody held up a finger, walked down the hallway and peeked into Tanzie's room. "You awake, baby girl?" as he waited on her to answer. Tanzie held up her thumb in the air and asked, "What's up?"

"You have guests." Brody said as Tanzie sat up, yawning, rubbing her eyes. She stood and stretched then asked, "Who?" as she made her way sleepily into the den of the house. She muttered a very audible 'Crap on a cracker, sheesh, Dad, you coulda told me." before darting back into her room to change into actual clothing and not just a pair of Grinch pajama pants and a very old and shrunken Motorhead t shirt.

Moments later, Tanzie was sitting on the couch in a better pair of sweats as she told both males, "Nobody finds out about the Grinch."

"We get it." Shane said quickly as Matthew shrugged and said through a mouth full of cereal, he'd fixed himself a bowl while waiting when Brody offered it to him, "What's the big deal?"

"It's a cartoon movie. I'm fifteen."

"I watch cartoons." Shane blurted as he stared at her and tried to get his focus back on the homework spread out in front of all of them and not on her lips or the way her hair looked when it was partially messy. She raked her hands through her hair and said with a shrug, "I got -17.."

"How in the hell.." Matthew asked as Shane shook his head and took her book and notebook, then her pencil and started to explain carefully why she got the wrong answer. She laughed a little and then said in amusement, "It's not my fault.. I blame the idiot who put letters in math." as their eyes met for a few moments and he finally said quietly, "Yeah.. I mean it makes no actual sense."

Matthew watched them together, an amused smirk on his face as he stood and said "I'm gonna go see Destiny. You've got this, right? If you need a lift home, man, just text." before ducking out quickly, laughing to himself and shake his head. They needed alone time. He'd come with Shane because really, it was the only way he could think of to get Shane to get his ass in gear where his crush on Tanzie was concerned. Because that's what friends do.


	5. Chapter 5

"Yeah.. A bunch of us are chipping in for a parachute.. In case you decide you wanna jump off the roof again?" Jack said in amusement as Shane rolled his eyes. Shane got his own turn to smile in amusement when out of nowhere a football connected neatly with the back of the other boy's head and down he fell. He looked around for the thrower of the football and when he saw Tanzie shrug and mouth 'Oops?' he could've died on the spot laughing.

Shane leaned over and said calmly, "You should probably keep that parachute, Jerk. Just a thought." as he sent a kick to Jack's midsection and walked away, thinking that was that, Jack wouldn't try anything stupid in front of their entire gym class. But he was wrong, of course, and Jack lunged, grabbed hold of him, trying to put him in a sleeper hold. Matthew quickly grabbed his Chemistry book from the bleachers and nailed Jack in the back of the head with it, of course, this only gave Brad incentive to jump in and then an all out brawl started.

Tanzie rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "If you want something done right send a fuckin Marines daughter." as she shoved through the crowd after filling a pail that sat nearby with hot water from the showers in the back of the gym. She waited until she had just the right moment and positioned herself above the fight, on the stage, just out of sight.

The hot water scalded Jack and Brad, made them swear and when he went to grab for Shane again, Tanzie rolled her eyes and lunged off the stage at the front of the gymnasium, took him down, wrapped her legs around him and her arms as tightly as they'd go around his throat. By now, it was three on three and Jack's friends were doing everything they could to get the brawl stopped or at the very least to get a teacher or coach involved.

The stern voice of Coach Morrison had all six of the teens looking up from their respective places on the floor and they all pointed to each other and said in unison, "He started it."

"That crazy little.. She bit me!" Jack yelped as Tanzie smirked in satisfaction and then exclaimed through gritted teeth, "This fucking fuck, sir.. He was being a sick jerkoff.."

Shane eyed Tanzie in concern and edged closer, grabbed hold of her right as Jack made a move to grab her legs when she stood, pull her back down. "Tanzie, it's not worth it.. You shouldn't have even gotten into this much of the fight." he muttered quietly as his forehead rested against hers. Tanzie looked up at the taller blond male and said with a wry grin, "Yeah? Well you and Matthew are the only friends I've got in this hellhole.. Not gonna let some bastards with too much money and sick senses of humor screw with you guys." as she shrugged.

Shane grumbled and shook his head and the gym coach's cough interrupted their little 'moment' yet again as he said "All six of you come with me.. We're going to have to call your parents."

As Tanzie filed past Jack she made sure to use her elbow and elbow him sharply in the gut which made him double over. "Satan spawned little bitch.. She's every bit as crazy as her daddy." Jack exclaimed loudly as she stopped in her tracks and turned around, hand in her hair as she said with a shrug, " I can't help if you're a pussy."

The other students in the gymnasium that had been watching the brawl with intent amusement started to laugh and Shane groaned and shook his head as he caught up to Tanzie and stopped her, looked at her a few moments then said quietly, "Thanks." as Matthew nodded and echoed the sentiment while adding, "But we had that, Tanz.. You don't need to get in the middle of this, trust me.. Let us guys handle it.. right Shane?"

"Exactly.. Look.. Jack's an asshole.. He doesn't care who he hurts.. Boy, girl, baby, old person.. I just.. I don't wanna see you getting hurt, okay?" Shane said as Tanzie doubled over and then looked at her two best friends serious and concerned faces before saying calmly, "Boys? The day I worry about a pathetic waste of god damn air like Jack Manning? That's the day I hand over my rightful claim to head bitch in charge of shit. And frankly? Not gonna happen anytime soon.. It's like I said.. You guys are like my only friends here. I mean besides Destiny but I'm mad at her right now for not seeing what this jerk that's sniffing around her lately truly is and why Matthew has such a problem with said guy so... I don't leave my friends hanging, okay? Besides.. Now you two idgets owe me." before skipping off down the hallway, shouting some obscene lyrics to an Irish drinking song.

Tanzie skipped past Jack Manning and he studied her intently. If he knew one thing right now, it was that Shane had the hots in the worst possible way for this new girl, this demon spawned blonde psycho bunny burner offspring to even crazier Brody Lovett.. If he went after that connection they had lately? He'd finally get Shane where he wanted him.

Didn't help that Jack was semi attracted to the crazy little spitfire to begin with either.. But it definitely did not hurt..


	6. Chapter 6

Adam Chandler looked down at his mother, Babe Carey Chandler and then over the rim of his dark tinted shades at Llanview High, where he was starting as a 9th grader and asked, "This... This is it, mom?" as Babe nodded and said quietly, "Don't start with me, Little A.. Just get your butt out of this car and inside the building with me. If you hadn't gotten thrown out of that other school, son, maybe we wouldn't have had to move to Llanview."

"Or maybe if my dad wasn't totally losing his shit collectively?" Little A said as Babe sighed and nodded, muttered mostly to herself, "Yeah, that too." as the mother and son duo walked through the double doors of Llanview High. They'd just sat down on a bench outside the office when the group of teenagers walked up, the short and wiry little blonde girl with wild blue eyes swearing up a storm at a taller brunette male as the male tried to make a grab for her. The blond male who stood with them quietly and his brunette male friend both quickly grabbed the girl and said quietly, "Enough, Jerk. She's a girl. She was just trying to help us." while standing chest to chest with the taller brunette male who sneered at him and said casually to the blond male, "Morasco? Might wanna learn to keep your little bitch on a leash."

And as a mother, by this point, Babe Carey Chandler had heard quite enough. As had her son, apparently, who was most certainly raised better than the brunette male named Jack was acting currently.. Especially where girls were concerned. He'd grown up seeing enough of what a man shouldn't do to a woman to last a lifetime.

Before Babe could stop her son he'd gotten up and walked over, leaving her no choice but to follow and make damn sure that her son didn't get thrown out of this school before he even really started.

"Say whatever you want to the guys, you pathetic fucking asshole.. But leave the girl out of it." Adam Chandler said calmly, quietly, as he stared down Jack Manning over the rim of his dark tinted sunglasses. Jack scoffed at him and asked, "Yeah? And what business is any of this to you?"

"Only pansies treat girls like that.. Come to think of it, you kinda look like a pansy.. Is that what you are, man? A pansy?" Adam asked as Jack glared.. His mother storming down the hallway and using his full name had him backing down and Adam said with a wink, "Told you guys he was a fucking pansy. Can't even stand up to Mommy if what he thinks he's doing is so damn right."

Babe smiled.. She didn't approve of fighting by any means, but what the other boy had been doing to the group of teenagers had been wrong to begin with.. And she knew her son had a soft heart, he wasn't going to just sit back and let the other boy talk to the girl like he'd been doing, he'd been raised better.. Still though, as any good mother would do, Babe smacked her son softly on the back of his head and he rubbed his head and said "Seriously, mother? You were about to do something too.. I just beat you to it."

"Do as I say, son, not as I do." Babe said as she eyed the other three teenagers and said with a smile, "My name is Babe Carey Chandler.. This is my son Adam.. he's going to be starting here tomorrow if he doesn't get himself thrown out in the next few minutes.. What are your names?"

Tanzie was about to introduce herself (and mention casually that her father was what most women in town considered a 'hunk' and was very very single) but before she could open her mouth to tell Babe her name, her father shouted it in it's entirety from down the hall with Mr. and Mrs. Morasco hot on his heels as well as Mrs. Buchanan and Bo, Matthew's parents.

"Well then.. Taking it the whole freaking school knows my name now." Tanzie mused as Babe smiled a little and said "It's nice to meet you all.."

She bit her lower lip as Tanzie's father came into view, a concerned, amused and little bit irritated look in his eyes while looking at Tanzie and asking quietly, "What gives? This is the third fight in a week almost."

"Yeah Dad, I know.. But Jack started it.. He was saying sick things about buying a parachute so Shane could .." as Gigi looked at Shane and asked, "Is that true?" which Shane nodded to and then said calmly, "But I'm not taking it anymore, Mom.. I handled it.. Tanzie should not have gotten in it. It's kinda my fault"

Matthew butted in solemnly, "And mine" which made Nora and Bo shift their gazes to Matthew who said "Shane's family.. Tanzie's kinda like a little sister to me.. So yeah, I was gonna beat the shit out of Jack and Brad and their friend Connor when the three of them started in.." with a shrug as he added calmly, "Go on and ground me, let's just get it over with."

Shane continued as he nodded and said "Same for me, Mom.. Go ahead and ground me. But it's like Matthew said... We're family and we were just taking up for each other.. Isn't that what Granpa Asa was all about?"

The group of parents looked at one another and Babe ventured over, clearing her throat.. "I actually saw most of it, or the part that almost started again out here in the hallway.. That guy " she said as she pointed her finger in Blair and Jack's direction, the two were arguing loudly, Blair, from the looks of things was finally giving her son the piece of her mind that he truly deserved as of the past two years, " was the one who started it.. And frankly? I don't see why that kid's mother hasn't taken a belt to him yet."

Brody got caught up in the melted chocolate brown of the mysterious blonde's eyes and said quietly, "Sorry you had to see that.. I've told my daughter a thousand times that girls don't act like that.. That she cannot just jump into a fight with a bunch of other boys because she'll wind up getting hurt." which made Babe laugh and say "At least she's strong willed." and then introduce herself quietly.

The principal came out and Adam eyed the brown haired boy getting yelled at down the hall with a disgusted smirk.. He'd just found his new friends at Llanview High and simultaneously found the one guy he knew he'd wind up hating more than anything.. It was an interesting day so far in his humble opinion. Maybe Llanview wasn't going to be such a bad place to live.

After all, his mother seemed happier now, she wasn't fighting with his father all the time.


	7. Chapter 7

Shane, Matthew and the new guy in Llanview High, a freshman by the name of Adam Chandler III walked down the sidewalk tossing a football back and forth, talking about an upcoming party that one of the popular kids was going to be holding at their parents winter cabin at Llantano Lakes. Shane sighed and said "But if you want an invite, Adam.. You won't get it hanging around with us." which made Adam laugh, wave his hands and shake his head then say "Who the hell says we have to be invited, huh?"

Nathan stopped walking and called out to his friends, "Are you guys coming? You talk more than three girls, man." which made Matthew give him the finger in joking as he called out, "Our man Adam here might be onto something about that party this weekend.." as Shane looked at Adam and then said "And just how in the hell or why in the hell would we sneak in?" to which Adam shrugged and said "Because maybe there was this awesome idea I had to get even with that little prick Manning for that crap he pulled on wednesday?"

"Oh, I'm gonna get even with him for that.. Just have to find a way." Shane said as he bit the edge of his thumb in thought while the group of teenage males migrated towards the green grassy lawns of the local park. School had only been out for an hour and the group of them collectively were bored to death. Adam flopped on the grass beneath the shade of a tall oak tree and looked up, crossed his arms behind his head and mused aloud, "This town is almost as boring as Pine Valley, man.. Nothing to do but watch paint dry and die.. We should liven it up.."

"What'd you have in mind, Chandler?" Nathan asked as he lazily spun a basketball on his fingertip, scowling when the ball fell off, rolled a few feet away. He waved at the ball dismissively and said in a bored tone, "I cannot be bothered to go after the damn thing.. Since when is Llanview this damn hot in the fall?"

Shane spoke up and said "Since we're in the middle of a heatwave, apparently. Adam's right though.. I mean I know personally, I'm sick of nothing to do.. And I'm sick of Jack and his minions thinking they run Llanview High. I just.." his voice trailed off.. Shane wasn't good at the troublemaker thing, that had always been his best friend (and cousin, as they had discovered recently) Matthew's area of expertise.

Matthew spoke up nearby and said "And I'm sick of that stupid prick that keeps trying to make Destiny like him. I mean it's really getting old. Did you know somehow he got an invite to that party? And he's taking her? I swear to God, man.. " his own voice trailing off as Adam raised to a sitting position, retied the lime green shoelaces on a pair of ratty (and heavily spray painted) black Converses then said "So, boys.. Looks like we're crashing a party?"

"My parents will kill me but.. Let's do it." Shane said as Matthew gaped at his cousin a moment then put his fist into the makeshift 'think circle' they had going on the grass of the park and bumped it against Shane's and Adam's as he said "Why the hell not.. I mean I'm already grounded.. Might as well make it worth my time.. And punching that jerk that's all over Destiny? Totally worth my time." under his breath as Nathan stared at the other three males a moment then shrugged and said "Not like my brother Robbie can do a damn thing if he can't catch me first, huh?"

"So.. This is what we're gonna do.." Adam said as the boys began to plot and plan their way into a boredom busting Saturday night that upcoming Saturday.

Across town, Tanzie sat in the stylist chair at Foxy Roxy's Hair Haven with this woman her father had been seeing here and there casually, Babe Carey Chandler, looking on. She fidgeted as Roxy looked at her long blonde hair and said with a smile, "Ain't you my grandson's best friend? The one who's always fighting?" as she laughed and Tanzie nodded quietly then said "I see where he gets his eyes from.." and immediately kicked herself mentally. Did she seriously just blurt that out?

"So.. What do ya want done to ya hair, kiddo?" Roxy asked as she mused aloud, "I think I'd leave it long.. Brody might have a heart attack if you come home with short hair."

"I have to trim a little.. True Rosenberg, the bitch on wheels, was chewing gum behind me.. Stuck it in the ends of my hair. She's lucky the teacher caught me before her face turned purple. But I've kinda... Nevermind.. I'd look like an ass.."

"What?"

"I've kinda always wanted long bangs?" Tanzie said as Babe clapped her hands together and then gathered a few magazines, Roxy helping. Within minutes the two older women were discussing which kind of bangs fit her facial shape. Roxy tweaked the girls nose and said "With that little button nose ya got, girl.. I think I know just what to do.."

She bit her lower lip and said warily, "Not too much okay? My pops.. He's kind of a big baby about my hair.." which made Babe giggle and say with a smile, "Just relax.. We're gonna leave it long.. We'll do this and it'll be pretty as she looked at her new boss Roxy and then said "I'll go text Brody just so he knows that she had to come by here and get gum cut out of her hair. Girls are so mean now."

"They did that at my age, hon." Roxy said as she worked on cutting the ends of Tanzie's hair while Tanzie looked on anxiously, biting her already badly bitten black polished nails and tapping her foot. She hadn't ever really had a hair style, she'd always just sort of let it grow and go.. Most of the homes she'd lived in while growing up (when her real mother was in and out of jail and they couldn't locate Brody to get him to take her because at the time he'd been active duty, he'd moved almost constantly from base to base) the parents in those homes really didn't care much about the kids in them.. They just used the kids to get money from the state..

So new clothes and hair styles were things Tanzie hadn't ever had before.. Nor had she ever had (and been allowed to decorate) her own bedroom before. And she was kind of lost with the processes, the things that her peers thought normal and didn't think twice about getting to do.. She had a hard time making any decision that took the normal teenage girl five seconds to make..

And shopping or hair styles? A nightmare because she'd panic.. There was too much to choose from and she was nervous..

Babe laughed as she came back inside and said "Brody said that he loves you and that he's going to go down and talk to your principal about True's bullying on his way in. He also said that he didn't want your hair 'all chopped off'." as she smiled a little.. She'd gotten to know the single father lately and she really liked him. They were getting to be close friends. And he made her laugh, he was starting to become her 'comfort zone'.

She'd only lived in town about 3 weeks now and already Llanview felt like home. And Adam seemed to have a small and close knit group of guy friends.. Not to mention he'd sort of started to befriend Tanzie, Brody's daughter.. The two seemed to be 'plotting' something and Babe suspected that her son, being the charmer he was, was talking Tanzie into helping him throw Brody and Babe together.

Which to be quite honest? She didn't mind.. Not at all.


	8. Chapter 8

"Really, True? You're what.. Sixteen? And you still can't go above and beyond four letter word insults on my locker?" Tanzie rolled her eyes, annoyed as she looked at the word SLUT written on her locker in bright bold lipstick. She wasn't an idiot, she knew it had to be True that had done it, because True was the same idiot responsible for the rumor that not only was Tanzie apparently sleeping with Matthew and Shane currently, now she'd added Adam Chandler III to her list of bed partners.

She scrubbed at it with the long sleeve thermal shirt she wore beneath a fitted Nirvana shirt, scowling as she did so. Shane spoke from behind her as he took the tissues that Destiny and Danielle handed him and quietly started to help her scrub the word off of her locker. "True again, huh?"

"Apparently. She's got a really impressive handle on vocabulary." Tanzie joked mirthlessly as she caught and held Shane's gaze for a few moments as if she wanted to say something. He looked away and said "Didn't know you liked Nirvana."

"Love 'em, actually. You kinda look like Kurt.." Tanzie blurted, mentally kicking herself as she bit her lower lip and then said "Sorry."

"Thanks.. If that's a good thing.." Shane said as he shook his head at her apology. She did that, she'd blurt things out and then apologize for them seconds later. When he mentioned it to Destiny and Danielle or his grandma Roxy the only three females he knew that would bluntly tell him what a girls behavior meant, they always said it was because she wasn't the best with people to begin with and that if she liked him a lot like they thought she did, she felt awkward. It was a situation she couldn't control and Shane had known her well enough by now to know that she hated those above all else.

"It is." Tanzie mused as she raked her hand through her newly trimmed long and shaggy bangs, looked up at him. The way his grandmother cut her hair.. It made her look kind of like one of those old French paintings of an angel, Shane mused to himself as he bit his lower lip and found himself migrating just a little closer to her as he stated quietly, "I saw Jack trying to mess with you earlier.. If he bothers you, Tanz.."

"If he bothers me, Shane, I'm a big girl. I've got this under control, totally. No sense in you getting your ass into trouble because suddenly Jack is popping up everywhere I happen to be and being a weirdo. I've dealt with worse." Tanzie said as she rubbed her arms, grimaced at the thoughts of just what she had managed to deal with in her fifteen years on the face of the Earth.

"I like your hair.. At least she didn't have to cut it all off, huh?" Shane asked as Tanzie nodded and said "If I'd have had to cut all my hair off because True put gum in it, Shane you can bet your ass she'd be walking around here bald." which made them both laugh at the mental image. The laughter died away and they stared intently at each other for a few moments, Shane finally breaking the silence by asking, "Did Adam tell you what we're all planning on doing Saturday?"

"Crashing that party at Llantano?"

"Mhmm."

"Yeah, he might have mentioned it. Me and Destiny and maybe even Dani thought about coming with.. Just to watch it all." Tanzie said as Shane nodded and then blurted out, "If you want, I can meet you.. I'm gonna ride with Matt and Destiny. Adam said he's riding with Nathan and Dani, this girl named Kimmie's gonna come to hang out with him."  
"I met her, she seems cool.. A little ditsy but she's cool and she's not like the other bitches here so that's something." Tanzie admitted as she mused aloud, "Adam's got this idea to try and get my dad and his mom together.. I am actually sort of thinking it'd be cool.. He's more like a brother to me than anything." as she stole a quick look at Shane who seemed relieved to hear what she'd just said. She leaned in and straightened the collar on the plaid shirt he was wearing then biting her lower lip nervously said "It was standing up.. Kind of annoyed.." her voice trailing off as suddenly her black engineer boots became the most fascinating damn things in the world to look at.

He coughed and then said quietly, "That's good.. I mean.." as she looked up at him and smiled then added, "So.. Never actually been to a high school party before.. Maybe you can kinda tell me what to expect... Or hey.. We're already going to meet and ride over with Matt and Desi.. Maybe we can go together? I mean as friends.. If you want.." nervously. She was really biting her lower lip now, Shane knew enough to know that she was nervous, she was trying to distract herself, basically.

"I'd like that.." he said quietly as they began the walk towards Biology class. When she wasn't looking, he smiled to himself.. Maybe he could safely make some kind of move without worry that she'd laugh her ass off at him.


End file.
